Fishing. The Basics for beginners.
The art of fishing brought to you by Fishingposts.Com

For all you Barbel anglers here is a must read article by a very good River Trent barbel angler by the name of Richard Easom.

The Pleasure Session Angler.

A pleasure angler is an angler who fishes JUST for the fun and
enjoyment and relaxation of the sport. There is no competition to fish against,
so the pleasure angler can fish in any way they want without the pressures of
time limits and amounts of fish caught during a single dayor night session.A
pleasure angler will fish for any species of any size. A pleasure angler will
take pride in his catch, caring for them in a keep net until the session is
over, more often than not he/she will take photographs of the days catchl. The
angler can choose from Ledgering, Float or Pole fishing. When fishing Day ticket
waters please adhere to the fishery rules

Match fishing.
The basics In a match each angler have to draw their own peg number from
the "HAT", pegs are marked on the bankside with peg numbers. Each
section will be around 10 meters wide.After the peg draw all anglers have one
hour to prepare thier tackle and baits before the match starts. As well as setting
up tackle and poles the anglers are allowed to "plumb" the depth of
the area they are fishing. When an angler "plumbs" the depth they
are seeing how deep the water is by finding the bed of the lake or river. Anglers
plumb the depth so they know how long their rigs need to be so that bait is
presented at the correct height in the water for the fish to feed. No fishing
or feeding is allowed during preparation time. Five minutes before a match starts
the anglers are allowed to start pre-baiting The term pre-baiting means that
an angler is applying bait into the "swim"the angler is about to fish
during the match. During these five minutes pre baiting the size of the ground-bait
balls used can be any size but when the match starts ground-bait balls can be
no bigger than a ball made using one hand, this is so when the ground-bait balls
are fed into the water they do not scare their neighbours' fish away from their
pegs. When the pre-baiting five minutes is over this is when the match starts,
the anglers are only allowed to fish and feed in their own peg, if a fish crosses
into neighbour's peg, it is disqualified. Matches can vary in time ranging from
two and a half hours up to five hours long.The "ALL IN" order is given,
the match begins in ernest. When the match finishes the "ALL OUT"
order is shouted by the match organiser. Then the SCALESMAN and his helper goes
to every peg to weigh in the anglers haul of the day. A record is taken of all
weights

Matches are divided into sections, the anglers compete against the other anglers
in their section then the winners of each section compare the weights of their
fish to determine who wins the overall match. There can be as many as ten sections
on a venue, it depends on how many anglers are participaing rules the day. The
angler with the heaviest weight may also win his/her section, this does not
mean he/she has won the match. The angler with the heaviest bag out of all anglers
contesting the match is deemed the winnerThe Basic
Match Fishing RulesMatch fishing rules may differ from one club to another, in
open matches they can also differ. There is no set rules written in stone.Participants
must have a VALID Environment Agency licence to fish. Fish must be caught in
a sporting manner. Fish hooked anywhere other then in the mouth are not caught
in a sporting manner and must be released. This is known as FOUL HOOKING. All
care is taken to minimise the stress to all fish caught. Any angler caught cheating
will be automaticlly disqualified, and may also be banned for life from the
venue he/she was caught cheating at. News travles on the grapevine about cheating
anglers, so it could possibly lead to the angler not being allowed to attend
or fish other matches.

Specimen fishing.

The basics of Specimen fishing is very popular in theUK. A good size specimen
fish will weigh IN EXCESS of 30 1b. Speciman Carp fishing is the most popular
type of specimen fishing because the carp has a fine reputation for being a
determined and fighting spirited fish. This adds to the excitement and fun of
specimen anglers. The larger carp have been given names by the speciman angler's.There
are a good deal of different strains of carp (Cyprinus Barpio), Ghost.Leather,Common.Linear
Mirror., . The largest carp to be caught in the UK was 61lbs 7oz, On the continent
carp up to 80 1b have been successfully landed. In generously stocked venues
where bites are not uncommon the constant battles between anglers and fish make
for good sport. The carp like to test there food before they eat it by sucking
and blowing it out so bait presentation making sure the hook is hidden and the
bait is enticing is essential. It also frustrates the speciman angler when a
carp plays with the bait, the most common bait is the boilie, which is hairrigged
onto the hook.

The carp also have good memories and can associate bait to being hooked and
pulled out of the water, which adds to the challenge. There is a ruling body
that has guidelines writn down on how to claim a record weighing speciman fish Fishing Methods/StylesFeeder/Ledger fishingFeeder and leger fishing are methods where the hook is cast
into distance with a ledger.feeder cage or method feeder packed with ground-bait
attached to the line. The purpose of the feeder cage of method feeder is to
attract fish into the anglers swim. The weight takes the hook and the bait down
to the bottom of the water where the fish locates and with luck take's the bait.
After the rig has been cast the angler tightens up their line, places the rods
on a rod rest and waits for the tell tale signs of a " BITE". At which
time the angler " STRIKES" into the bite hoping the hook has set and
he/she then reels the captured fish in. The fish should always be
landed in a LANDING NET.Float FishingFloat fishing is a very endearing
method, this method is probably the first encounter with angler for man anglers.
Waggler fishing is the most common method on still waters. The tackle is much
more lighter than ledgering or speciman angling. Some anglers use fishing line
as light as 2lb breaking strain. The waggler method is an extremely accurate
way of fishing, the angler can cast to he baited swim time and after time. Free
bait is " SPRAYED" over the waggler, this means that a catapult is
used to introduce free baits into the swim, maggots, hemp.sweetcorn or whatever
the angler has to hand, groundbait balls may also be introduced into the swim.

Again waggler fishing is the ideal method to target silver fish species, roach,
rudd, gudgeon. But an experienced angler can and often will target the bigger
species using the waggler method. Waggler floats come in a variety of shapes
and sizes.Pole FishingPole fishing is another extremely
accurate method of angling, pole angling is the main method for match anglers
because of its accuracy in presenting baits into the swim. However the pleasure
angler also has the option of pole fishing. In pole fishing there is no reel
involved. A few sections of the pole has to be fitted with an elastic shock
absorber, to this a rig is attatched. A float is attatched to the line with
shot weight to take the hook to the water bed. Free feeding again is done with
a catapult around the float, groundbait balls may also be introduced into the
swim. Pole come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 6mtrs and to 16mtrs in some
cases.

A lot of private fisheries have banned certain aspects of pole fishing because
they deem it unsafe for their fish stocks.Anglers Landing nets/
Keep netsThe landing net can be af various sizes, a PAN HEAD landing
net is most commoly used in pleasure fishing. A speciman landing net is used
by the spaciman angler. The size of this net can be as large as 50inches in
diameter. All landing nets must have the Saftey Standard mark and be fish friendly.
The landing net is connected to a handle by means of a screw fitting. Soft fish-friendly
mesh landing nets are widely available.Again as with the landing net, a keep net can vary in sizes.
It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that speciman fish should never be retained
in any form of keepnet. A keep net is used by both match anglers and pleasure
anglers alike. The match angler needs them to prove his catch at the weigh in.
The pleasure angler may be happy not to use a keep net, but its suggested that
a lot of pleasure anglers do use them, purely for the sake of looking at their
catch at the end of the session. Photographs taken then the catch is released
unharmed. A lot of fisheries do not allow keep nets to be used.Some venues do
allow them, but all nets including landing nets may have to be dipped in a special
solution, this is to stop certain fish/carp deseases being spread. Soft fish-friendly
mesh keep nets are widely availableThe basics of Ground-baiting
a swim Ground-bait can be thrown in or catapulted in depending on the
distance that is being fished. Ground-baiting is an important part of fishing
many anglers believe it is the content of the ground-bait that is the key to
catching well; it is also important how the ground-bait is performed.

There
are various ways of applying the ground-bait to the area being fished: For example,
FEEDER CAGE or METHOD FEEDER, it has also been known for anglers to use BAIT
BOATS to introduce groundbait into their swims.During a session the angler will
feed his/her swim constantly with free offering, Particle Baits are also used
in the groundbait, For example, Sweetcorn, Maggots, Caster, Hemp to name a few.The
idea is to draw fish into the anglers swim. There are also a large number of
flavouring addatives that the Coarse Angler may use. The idea of this is to
make the groundbait more attractive to the fish. Some addatives can be very
expensive, but the most frugal way of getting round this is to visit your local
supermarket and look at their food flavourings. Brown or White crumb is the
dasis of ground bait, also liquidised bread is another favourite. The Continental
style ground baits can be purchased at any tackle shop. Again there is a huge
variety to choose from. The usual mix is 50/50 for crumb and ground bait. The basics of Coarse Fishing
Baits The baits available to angler are huge, ranging from, Maggots,
Worms, Bread, Caster, Sweetcorn, Bloodworm,Joker. There are also a lot of manmade
baits on the market, ranging from BOILIES to imitation bread and other natural
baits.

The angler can spend as much or as little as he/she wants to on coarse
fishing baits. Maggots and worm are the commonly used baits by anglersThe Basics Of Carp Fishing, Article
submitted by Claire PearceLet me start of by saying we will be talking about modern carp
tactics here using bite alarms, free running reels and other modern gadgetry
there are of course hundreds of ways to catch carp but ‘modern’
carping is the topic here.We have all seen people on the bank with a bewildering
array of equipment, bivvy tents, electronic gadgets, electric boats and even
TV’s and DVD players and perhaps we have wondered what sort of dark art
is being practiced by them in order to catch a carp, well the simple answer
is that you don’t need 90% of that equipment to have a go at catching
good size carp.So what do you need? Well to start off with I would suggest that
anyone who wants to have a go at catching some carp finds themselves a local
well stocked water with lots of carp in the 5-10lb range, there can be nothing
more disheartening than chasing after half a dozen fish in acres of water.

You will of course need some specialist tackle but you needn’t
break the bank and go out and buy all the latest gadgets, for carp the size
I have mentioned above a barbel rod or similar with a test curve of 1.5lb or
more is great for the job and you will really get to feel the fight of the fish.
A free running reel loaded with strong line (10lb +) is nearly a must have as
a carps first run can be long and violent and this sort of reel means a carp
can take line without taking your tackle in with it, finally equipment wise
a bite alarm with some form of bite indicator or bobbin. The reels and alarms
are available very cheaply these days and if you already have a suitable rod
you can get yourself a one rod set up ready to fish with for less than a night
out at the local. The last things you will need are a good landing net and a
mat to protect the carp whilst it is on the bank.So you have a rod, reels and
bite alarm how do you catch the carp well first there are the basic rigs that
will serve you well in 90% of carp fishing situations. Using an HAIR RIG ( you can buy them ready made at your local
tackle shop) pass a baiting needle through your chosen bait be it boilie, luncheon
meat, cat food or what ever else works on your water, and pull the hair through
your bait. Then insert something to stop your boilie falling of the hook, specialist
boilie stops are great and available from just about every tackle shop or you
can use a piece of grass, spaghetti or any other short stiff material.You are
now ready to cast in, but where to and what do you put your rod on?

Well where
is best answered by your local bailiff or fishery manager he/she will be able
to tell you what baits work and where you may well find the carp feeding. As for where to rest your rod well a couple of bank sticks is
as good a place as any to start, yes you can buy pods (Metal contraptions for
supporting your rods) but a pair of bank sticks is just as good if not better
in some situations. So now you have the basics sorted sit your self down and
wait for the scream of your buzzer, and while you do that you can enjoy the
wild life and being outdoors or if you are on a mixed fishery have a go with
a separate rod for some other species. There is always plenty more to learn
but this basic set up will catch you your first few fish and if you enjoy this
style of fishing then go ahead and get more tackle more gadgets and more experience
but first and foremost enjoy yourself.Welcome to Pike Angling, the
basics, Article submitted by John HowardTo avoid unnecessary expense when starting pike fishing. A lot
of carp tackle can be used, for example carp rods having a test curve between
2.5lb and 3lb as can any carp sized reel. I strongly recommend line having a
breaking strain of 15lbs be used.
It is not necessary to use an audible alarm but it does help if you have one.
An indicator of either of the drop back or fox swinger type can be used when
legering dead baits. The intention is to give as early an indication of a take
as possible to avoid the bait being swallowed and deep hooking the pike.A drop
back indicator and audible alarm combined with a bait runner type ree is the
best method wothout an audible alarm set up.

If a run occurred the line is pulled from the clip and the indicator drops down.
If a drop back bite occurs the line stays in the clip but again the indicator
drops down indicating a take.This set up is the normal set up for carp using
optonic type alarms in conjunction with bait runner type reels. Both types of
indicators can be used with out audible alarms. If a non bait runner type reel
is used then the indicator must be set up Alternatively a float can be used. The use of a float can give
advantages over legering. It is obvious where the bait is and in the event of
a take the direction the pike is going. The use of a float also allows all depths
to be fished from near the surface to the bait being laid on the bottom. The
dumpy type floats would be used for either a live bait or suspending a dead
bait. The slender pencil types when laying on or legering. One mistake commonly
seen is a failure to correctly shot the float, its not uncommon to see a float
lying flat. Swan shot or pierced bullet legers can be used to shot the float.
This is particularly important when suspending dead baits to minimize resistance
to a taking fish. When using a float having a floating line is very important,I am now using a floating braid for this task. The alternative
is to grease nylon so it floats. Not only does it help to pick up the line off
the surface but also avoids the line tangling around the bait or trace. When
using a float it is best to fish sliding float set up. I use different hooking
set ups for legering and float fishing. On a lake all legered baits are hooked
so the head hangs down, this is because a pike takes the fish crossways first,
turns the bait and swallows it head first. When using a float the top hook is
hooked in to the muscle of the dorsal fin, the bottom treble going in by the
gills. This allows the bait to be presented as if it was swimming normally.
On a river I normally hook the dead baits the opposite way when legering. Doing this then allows the bait to be retrieved as if it was swimming.

A wire trace is a must as nylon can and does get bitten through by a pikes teeth.
A 7-strand trace of 20lb breaking strain wire with either size 6 or 8 semi barbless
trebles is the standard set up. By semi barbless I mean 2 of the 3 hooks are
barbless the remaining hook is left barbed and its this hook that goes into
the bait. Any traces that are kinked for whatever reason should be scrapped
immediately as a kink can severely reduce the braking strain of the wire trace.
Always check the condition of the trace before use and before every cast.Striking
a run should be done as quickly as possible. Pick up the rod and either wait
till the line tightens or wind down to the fish. Strike firmly and maintain
a firm pull on the fish for a few seconds. As pike have such bony mouths and
may be holding a large bait very firmly the hooks may not be immediately set.
Its only as the bait is released that allows the hooks to find a purchase.

It is very important to ensure all hooks are sharp if needs be sharpen using
a hook sharpener. A pikes mouth is full of bone and toothy pads and a sharp
hook is needed to penetrate this. deep throat disgorger, 12-inch forceps, wire
cutters (handles extended), 8-inch forceps, small wire cutters and a pair of
long nosed pliers. are most efective for unhooking pike, this is most important,
the Pike has a fierce reputaion but in fact they are a very fragile species.
Whenever a pike is being played and its ready to be netted note where the hooks
are. One may be loose and care will have to be taken as the landing net is used
to avoid the hook fouling the net.
Unhooking a pike calls for different methods. Lay the fish on an unhooking mat
kneel astride the fish with the tail between your legs. This helps prevent the
fish thrashing around. A glove on your left hand if right handed is advisable
until you become proficient in un hooking pike. Care fully slide a finger under
the gills and gently lift the finger should slide forwards towards the front
of the jaw. Avoid any contact with gill rakers. As you lift the pikes mouth
will open allowing you to see the hooks, using forceps remove thee hooks.
There is a wide choice of bait available either from a fishmonger or a tackle
shop. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Sprats and sardines cheaper from
the fishmonger, mackerel and herrings bought from fishmongers are normally to
big, but in a small size may be ideal cut in two. Trout, smelt, herring sardines,
sprats, mackerel, lamprey sand eels, and a coarse pack. Spratts can be bought
already dyed to.
It just remains to welcome you to the world of predator fishing. I would always
advise a newcomer to piking to go with an experienced piker so that handling
and unhooking techniques can be fully explained and demonstrated.

Starting river fishing, Article
Submitted by Adrian EllisPart One, Chub, Barbel basics Starting fishing a river can be very daunting especially after
catching fish from a stillwater – the water moves, sometimes at what seems
to be a tremendous speed!Chub and Barbel are the two main species that many
anglers seek due to their fighting skills; a 10lb barbel caught in a flood is
a very strong adversary.So down to basics; firstly a rod and reel. Those of
you on a budget can purchase both for about £60, with money no object
£200 will do!The rod needs to about 11 or 12 feet long usually in 2 pieces
and have a through action. Unlike a float or match rod it is more powerful but
will bend almost throughout its length. Shimano, Daiwa, Chubb, Masterline and
many more manufacturers produce suitable models at a huge variety of prices.A
compromise is the John Wilson Twin tip suitable for most flowing water as well
as stillwater bream fishing. They can be found in your local tackle shop or
via the internet. Cost is about £40.00. This is a rod with two top sections
one with a quiver for delicate bites. The other with a stouter tip to use for
barbel or casting heavy weights or if you are lucky – big fish. Other
similar makes are also available.Next reels – they hold the line to land the fish with
– and are attached to the rod.

They again come in all sizes – huge
for sea fishing and very small for float fishing so a medium size is probably
best. It needs to have 2 spools; one for lighter line holding about 100m of
6lb will do and the other for 100m of 12lb line, used for snaggy swims and big
fish. Again Shimano, Daiwa, Okuma make suitable models varying in price from
£20 up to £100+. So you have the rod and reel, what next? Hook,
line & sinkers. Line as mentioned above is 6lb – this will land most
chub in the river, and 12lb for the bigger barbel. Hooks – well a selection
of hooks and sizes would be good, size 12 for maggots; size 10 for sweet corn;
sizes 8 and 6 for worms, bread, cheese, meat, and pepperami. Lead weights needed
come in a variety of sizes from swan shot to 2oz grip leads. Also a few feeders,
Kamasan black cap or for more feed large Drennan flat feeders are good. So you have you rod, reel, line, hooks, leads – what else?
A landing net, an unhooking mat to stop your fish being injured, a couple of
rod rests, a comfortable seat for you to sit down and concentrate on the bites
you are going to get. Oh! And don’t forget a bag for the bits and of course
your food and drink.OK off we go to the river, but where do we start! In the summer
if you are quiet when walking along the bank you may see the fish if the water
is clear.

A pair of Polaroid glasses can help. Always walk upstream as fish don’t
have eyes in the back of their head! Weirs, deeps, shallows, very fast water
all hold fish at various times during the hot weather mostly because the fish
are looking for oxygenated water to live in. One of the chub’s favourites
are overhanging trees that they can hide under as they also fear being caught
by anglers or eaten by herons or other predators. Barbel do the same but unlike
chub eat mostly on the bottom. Chub on the other hand eat the food as it is
washed down the river, on the surface, in mid-water or rolling along the bottom
they don’t care. Both species eat almost the same but I have only ever
caught 2 barbel on bread. So use bread for chub and if barbel are present in
the river it is better to use the 12lb line especially when using other baits.
This makes it safer for the fish. No-one wants to leave a hook and line attached
to a fish! So sitting still all day in one place may not catch you either the
chub or a barbel so you have to find them. With the list of likely places in
your mind walk the banks. Walking upstream as I pointed out helps you see the
fish but as the current flows downstream to make things easier you fish downstream
towards the fish’s mouth, they just have to suck it in then! Simple. So
having walked 200m or more and hopefully seen many fish stop and have a rest
– no not really for you but to

give the fish a chance to forget you as
you will have disturbed them as you walked along the bank.PART TWO – NOW CATCH YOUR FISH
You are sitting having your rest – well make up your rod and reel. Thread
the line through the rod rings and put on your end tackle. You will need a hook,
a swivel and a lead. Take 50cm of line as it is summer use the 6lb one.
Tie a hook at one end and a swivel at the other. The hook should be size 8 or
6 depending on the size of the fish seen – chub do have enormous mouths
for their size. Next put a small lead onto the main line with an optional bead
afterwards. Then tie the mainline onto the swivel. You should now have a running
lead. When the fish bites the lead stays still and your rod tip bends violently
as the fish hooks itself and tries to escape! But you haven’t cast out yet or put the bait on the hook.
A large piece of the white inside of the bread – called flake will be
ideal. The outer brown part is of course – crust which is buoyant. Flake
is not and wavers about in the current at almost any depth. A sure Chub bait!So you cast out towards the overhanging trees where the water
is about a metre deep, letting a metre of line off the reel as the weight hits
the water.The flake sinks enticingly in the current encouraging the fish
to see what it is. Their sense of smell tells them it is bread, something they
have tasted before when the ducks have been fed.

A small chub about a pound
moves towards the bait but is pushed out of the way by a bigger greedier fish
of
2 ½ pounds. Your rod tip bends around downstream – don’t
strike but pull the hooks into the fish by lifting the rod upstream. If you
do strike the line could break or the hook could be pulled out of its mouth
– that would make the rest of the shoal disappear – very quickly!The fish is on and plodding away, the only way to describe how
a chub fights, in the strong current, a few twists and turns later it is close
to the bank and then it is in the net. Now how much does it really weigh? Two
more things you need – a weigh sling and a set of scales. The best weigh
sling I have ever used for fish under 10lb is a wallpaper bag from Homebase!
It weighs an ounce so easy to carry and screws up into nothing really. Scales
– well if you want to be very accurate – go digital – but
be careful about the cost. Cheaper scales are available from many shops. Expensive
ones can be £100!

So the chub is in the net the hook is taken out with your forceps, another useful
fishing tool, lying on the unhooking mat – not the gravel bank please!
Slide the fish into the bag – bag onto the scales 2lb 12oz – a little
bit bigger than you thought. Fish can appear both bigger in the water or smaller
depending on which way you are looking at them!Right one chub caught and loads more likely looking swims to
fish on the way back to the entrance. In order to keep the fish busy put a slice
of the bread in the landing net, soak for a minute then squeeze and crumble
in your hands and throw it into the current. Bits and pieces of various sizes
will float downstream attracting the chub and which they will eat without fear.
Next thing they see should be your hookbait – and then you as you land
them!Next swim is a shallow glide after a set of rapids. It is about
2 feet deep and the chub are sitting next to the bottom eating your bread bit
you threw in. As a piece drifts down they dash across to eat it. Not an easy
place to fish as they will see you if you are not careful. Get downstream of
them so their heads are looking upstream and away from you. Take off the lead
and instead use just one swan shot. Cast upstream of the fish and slowly pull
the bread towards you and into the chubs mouth – well that’s the
idea!

But as often happens it doesn’t always go to plan as the bread flake
comes off when you cast. OK - use a piece of crust, it is tougher and stays on the hook
longer – usually. The cast is all right but the crust floats over the
chubs heads, fortunately they don’t spook and disappear. On goes another
2 swan shot to make the crust sink a bit, cast in the same place and as the
crust comes towards you the line tightens and cuts through the water as the
chub dashes away towards the deeper water. After a struggle the chub gives up
and disappears into your waiting landing net. Same as the other fish, onto the
mat, hook out and now the moment of truth – the weighing. An even better
fish than before, 3lb 4oz, a silver and bronze large mouthed chub! You carry
on, catching the odd fish as you make your way back. A good days fishing! So
that’s chub fishing in the warmer weather but what about when the water
is colder? Wait and see! Basics of Game/Fly Angling, Article
Submitted by Colin DudgeonThere are several items of tackle/equipment required by the
angler to being fly/game fishing. These are fly rod, fly reel with line, landing
net, priest and a selection of flies. For those wishing try out this form of
angling you can purchase a basic starter kit from around £50.00. Rods
come marked with a line rating to indicate the weights of line best suited for
use with the rod. Good presentation of the fly is essential to fool the fish
into taking it so a good balance is required for your rod, reel and line as
using a line weighted heavier than the rod can cast with will impair your casting.

Fly fishing can be broken down into several disciplines:-
Lure fishing.....In this case the angler uses brightly coloured flies to make
the fish react agressively and take the fly. The lure is normaly fished on still
waters for rainbow trout.
Wet fly/nymph fishing......Wet flies and nymphs generally imitate natural food
items which fish feed upon, they can be fished throughout the depth of the water
and should be presented were the fish are feeding.
Both these forms of fishing can be done using any of the lines available, floating,
intermediate or sinking although wet flies and nymphs are best presented using
the intermediate line and lures with the intermediated or sinking.
Dry fly......Regarded by many in the sport as the ultimate challenge, this is
because presentation is key and the angler has to be preforming at his/her best
to catch a fish. The trick to this style is to fool the fish into taking your
artificial fly when often surrounded by the natural insect. The angler requires
skills to read the water to identify likely look areas where fish would lie.
They also need to be able to match the hatch, this is were the angler identifies
the food item that fish are feeding on and matches it to a fly from his/her
fly selection.

The fly/game angler has the opportunity to fish for species both native and
introducted and in a varity of waters, rivers, lakes, reserviors and even the
sea.
Salmon, Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, BrookTrout, Artic Char, Grayling these are
the main game fish species. However there are many other species which can be
caught using fly gear, Pike, Chub and Carp among the coarse fish species and
Pollock from rocky shore marks. So the fly angler should never feel limited
and should be encouraged to The Governing Rules
The river Closed Season Coarse Angling is prohibited between the dates of 15th March
and 15th June on all English River Systems, streams, canals. There has been
a lot of heated debates as to wether the Closed Season should stay in force,
obviously some anglers are against the closed season, but other anglers are
for the closed season, Maybe a happy medium will in future be agreed upon. However
it is still against the Law to fish rivers during the closed season, an angler
caught doing so may be TAKEN TO A COURT OF LAW

Licences
and Permits/Day Tickets

Anglers must purchase a National Rod
Licence to fish fresh water locations these licences are issued by the Environment
Agency. Privately owned fisheries/waters require the angler to purchase a day
ticket to fish these type's waters, permits can be day, week or season permits.
A lot of waters, be it a River or man made fishery are held by Fishing Clubs.
The rights to fish these waters are for members only, the Club member needs
to first of all join the club and pay an annual club fee to fish the waters.
However some clubs do allow non members to fish on day tickets, this is to help
raise money for the upkeep of the club and its rented waters

Fishing without a VALID Environment Agency
Licence is also against the Law, it is classed as a criminal offence, any angler
found without a valid Licence could be taken to Court and face a fine in excess
of £1.000

When fishing please stay safe,
abide by the law, always have your licence with you.

Every Angler in England and Northern
Ireland require a VALID LICENCE to fish, it is You are legally bound to produce
you licence to any Environment Acency Official.Failure to produce may end up
with a visit to Court. Fishery Owner may also ask you to produce you Licence